Exclusive | BJP Will Free Assam of Illegal Immigrants: Sonowal

Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP’s CM candidate in Assam, spoke exclusively with The Quint while campaigning in Majuli.

The Quint in interaction with BJP’s CM candidate Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam. (Photo: The Quint)

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has accused the BJP-AGP of conducting the secret killings in Assam between 1998 and 2001. But the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate from Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal rubbishes these allegations. According to him, Gogoi had received four commission reports on these killings but he didn’t act on any. This indirectly means that it is the Congress which was protecting the secret killers.

Sonowal spoke exclusively with The Quint while campaigning in Majuli. He stood by the BJP’s decision to give tickets to former ULFA members by saying that everyone is committed to the cause of a better Assam and that the party believes in working together with everybody.

He also said that the Congress and AIUDF are two sides of the same coin. Both the parties are trying to appease Muslim voters in Assam.

For Majuli, the constituency from where he’s contesting, Sonowal has a three point agenda – to save the river island by checking erosion, to protect it’s cultural heritage and develop the much-needed connectivity with the rest of Assam.

Sonowal was evasive when asked if the Modi magic is no longer working and perhaps that’s the reason why in Assam it has announced a chief ministerial candidate, a clear departure from their strategy in Bihar.

Sonowal reiterated that the BJP will work for everyone in Assam, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. But he further added that the BJP will free Assam of all illegal immigrants, particularly those coming from Bangladesh except the Bengali speaking Hindus who are victims of religious persecution.